FIELDWORK | Pyeongchang 2018 Cultural Olympiad

I am on my way to my eleventh Olympic Games edition, this time in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

I will be observing the staging of the Cultural Olympiad and reporting on the Games cultural dimension as an IOC-accredited journalist, based at the Main Press Centre.

The focus of my observations will be the official cultural programme, as presented via the Pyeongchang 2018 Cultural Olympiad site and its associate site, Culture 2018.

Aspects I’ll observe are:

  • the way the official Games cultural narrative in 2018 re-connects with that of Seoul 1988
  • ways in which the official cultural programme deals with North-South Korea cultural heritage & identity questions
  • ways in which official cultural programming presents a thread between the three consecutive Asia-based editions of the Games: from South Korea (Pyeongchang 2018) to Japan (Tokyo 2020) and China (Beijing 2022)
  • ways in which the Cultural Olympiad acts as a platform to present contemporary Korean culture and creativity – e.g.: how do the Games relate to the rapid evolution of Korean-based UNESCO Creative City network members, the country’s creative industries strategy and current national narratives around Korea’s cultural heritage and traditions?
  • finally, following on my OSC-funded work in Rio 2016, I will ask the question: how does the IOC-led cultural programme manifests itself in Pyeongchang? E.g.: what is the 2018 version of the Olympic artist-in-residence programme?

 

I will be reporting on findings via:

www.culturalolympics.org.ukwww.beatrizgarcia.net and www.iccliverpool.ac.uk